20 years ago, the crash and death of Ayrton Senna changed Formula One, changed the world and left a big whole in the hearts of all who knew the legendary Brazilian, even if only from television.
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I've never actually saw him racing, I started following f1 since 1997. I've done research about Senna but I guess that I can't get that magical feeling about the guy as most of you have.
I was teenager when he came in F1, so I‘ve witnessed all of it, but as I became more and more mature, I started realizing that what he lived and left behind, as someone here already similary described, requires to be reconsidered repeatedly over the time. It takes a life experience, gradual enlighment, in order to fully understand it.
Even those who were old enough to follow his career, will confess that it wasn‘t elapsed moment in time, but the life achievement full of knighthood, left for us to return to it, and make ourselves better persons.
That is why it doesn‘t matter how old are you, since even back than, most of the people got to know him trough TV footage, and that is something available now with a click of the button. Think of his racing career as the area of existance where he explored much higher, philosophical issues, trough his racing art, and just like majority of the artists, he was in the world of his own, trying to make his next achievement better than previous one, pushing existing limits to ultimate perfection.
Finally, don‘t be deceived by his fatal accident as something that makes his beliefs questionable. Every man has to die, and those very lucky ones die just like that - strong, without experiencing longtime suffering or any other form of misery faced by people all around us, including some of us, on a daily basis.
I apologize if what I wrote sounds depressive because it is not. I‘ve fought with his tragedy for so many years, being unable to accept it since I took it as great injustice, but now, after reading that interview of his quoted in my previous post that is new to me, everything somehow calms down. Not nice in some idealistic way, but most likely as good as life allows. Perhaps dying instantly, healthy and happy in your sleep is really unmatched, but it might be deceiving and just appear so. Who knows...
So, forget my rant and enjoy in Senna‘s mastery on youtube. Be thankful for that. I remember having to wait several days and sometimes more than two weeks before I could read the results of F1 race in a magazine, not to mention that TV coverage was rare thing globaly while motorsport was considered secondary to soccer, basketball and other non-technical group sports, and activities, which remains so even today. Former have always been popular brainwashing tool of establishments for control of masses ever since the ancient Rome tyrants figured out that “bread and games“ is enough to make enslaved idiots obedient.
My first F1 related memory is actually seeing the wreckage in which Stefan Bellof died, although that wasn’t an F1 car. I still have the picture of his raveled Group C prototype on a hook before my inner eye. I think I remember this so vividly, because he was the German F1 hope of the day and although I was too young to fully get what was going on, I did realize that there had never been a German F1 champion ever and that we haven’t had a decent driver in F1 for ages. So despite being so young, the image of the car in which this young talented man died stuck with me. And BTW, in a recent Autosport poll among 217 F1 drivers, Bellof was named the 35th best F1 driver of all time, despite hardly breaking into F1 at all and never racing for a decent team.
I did watch F1 all the way back, but my allegiances weren’t yet fleshed out. I have always been a Mercedes supporter, but back then, they only raced touring cars and later Group C prototypes (with some Michael Schumacher). I just watched it for the fast cars. Another related memory I have comes in a bit later later. Me and my pals had a discussion about which driver we liked best and they all said Senna. Since I have always liked to be contrarian, I said I preferred Prost and from then on, I really did support Prost for a while, just to follow through, though underneath it all, I seem to remember that I did in fact like Senna better. Though I definitely did support McLaren back then, because I liked their livery but probably also because they were so good.
The first driver I really got behind was Nigel Mansell when he was driving for Ferrari. Again this was probably partially simply because he was the underdog, but also because he put that Ferrari into places it didn’t belong and he did so in a spectacular fashion. He was just awesome to watch.
By 1992, there was finally a quick German driver in a competitive F1 team for the first time in ages, a young nobody called Michael Schumacher, so I supported him and he even won a race that year!! (Though obviously I was still happy for Mansell, particularly since Schumacher wasn't in any position to race for the title.) In 1994, Mercedes returned to F1 with the Sauber team (technically in 1993 albeit then still unofficially under the Ilmor name), the same team they partnered with during their Group C days and they had a German driver to boot, Heinz-Harald Frentzen another young talent who was consistently quicker than Schumacher during their Group C days driving for Mercedes (though Schumacher did steal his girlfriend, a certain blonde named Corinna). So the Frentzen/Sauber combination was my favorite for that year. And BTW, Senna was very impressed by Frentzen, so much so that he told Frank Williams he should sign him for 1995 as second driver, something that actually materialized in 1997 but unfortunately it didn’t work out (but Frentzen did have some tremendous bad luck at Williams as well).
But since the Sauber car wasn’t competitive, my fallback guy was still Schumacher, so I was supporting him against Senna in 1994.
Then came the third race of the season. Schumacher won the first two races and Senna had zero points, so I was totally excited. Could it be that a young German talent could beat the Legend, driving for Williams no less, the dominating car of the previous years. Before the season started, it was basically a foregone conclusion that Senna would win the championship.
That Sunday, me and my parents visited my grandparents. My grandparents had a small farm and everybody was outside, woking on something while I snuck into the house to watch the race. When Senna flew off in the Tamburello corner, at first I didn’t think it was serious, so I was thrilled. I thought that with 30 points over Senna, Schumacher might have an actual chance to win the title, something I didn’t dare to hope before, given how strong the Williams car had been and how good Senna was. (And once Williams brought their B-Spec car, it indeed was the fastest car on the grid once again.) I don’t remember exactly at which point the news of Senna’s death broke. I’ve recently read an account of Gerhard Berger who visited Senna in Hospital shortly before he died, so his actual death must have been some time after the race, but I do seem to remember that by the end of the race, word was the Senna was dead. Also, in the wake of the anniversary, I have recently seen a special report on the race in Imola from Austrian TV which originally must have aired shortly after the race in which it was said that the drivers didn’t know about Senna’s death during the celebrations but that they were told right afterwards, before the press conference. Something must be off I guess. Maybe they knew by then that Senna couldn’t be saved anymore.
Anyway, when the news broke, I was shocked. For me, Senna was synonymous with F1. He basically started racing in F1 when I was old enough to absorb it and he dominated large parts of that era. And while I never supported him for one reason or another, for me he was clearly the best, overshadowing the likes of Prost and even my guy Mansell, while Schumacher was still nothing more than a young talent. I remember running out of the living room onto the farmyard and yelling “Senna is dead”. And of course I was met with disbelief. It was just something that nobody could picture. How could the greatest driver of his time just die?
He died in a car, but that wasn‘t what GP organizers and Bernie wanted, because according to law, the event would be canceled and the scene of accident sealed. That is why they took him to hospital - to bypass the law obstacle and not loose any money. Not to mention that it also enabled access to telemetry boxes to some people who were not police forensics. All in all, that was one of Bernie‘s rules - a driver can die in ambulance on the way to hospital, in a chopper, in a hospital but not on the circuit.
Look up for it, it has been elabotated long time ago.
He died in a car, but that wasn‘t what GP organizers and Bernie wanted, because according to law, the event would be canceled and the scene of accident sealed. That is why they took him to hospital - to bypass the law obstacle and not loose any money. Not to mention that it also enabled access to telemetry boxes to some people who were not police forensics. All in all, that was one of Bernie‘s rules - a driver can die in ambulance on the way to hospital, in a chopper, in a hospital but not on the circuit.
Look up for it, it has been elabotated long time ago.
That would indeed have been heinous. In that case, either Berger is in on it, or they have really gone to great lengths in order to hide it as Berger mentioned that he had to wear some kind of sterile gear when visiting Senna in hospital. Maybe it all comes down to the difference between being dead and being brain-dead. Maybe they did keep his body alive for some time in hospital. I wouldn't put it beyond Bernie to pull something like that off for legal reasons.
Also, Prost mentioned in the extended cut of the Senna movie that he talked to Frank Williams and Patrick Head right after the race and that they still didn't know what Senna's status was. Prost was working as commentator for French TV back then and he mentioned that they didn't announce anything regarding Senna as all they heard were rumors ranging from "he only broke an arm" all the way to him being dead. He claimed that he only realized how serious it was when he was on his way to the airport.
On the other hand, I definitely remember that watching the German feed, Senna was reported dead by the end of the race, either during the race or right afterwards...I'm thinking that it was during the race, but I could be wrong there.
GitanesBlondes wrote:The race should have been canceled after Ratzenberger's death
Out of interest, what was the precedent for cancelling races after fatal accidents?
I‘ve been motorsport marshal so I can tell from experience.
Once a fatality occurs on the location under control of race organizers, stanard procedure considers arrest of race organizers and officials (from race director to marshals) and their interrogation in the police. Since that means arrest of all event personell, the event can‘t go on. Same goes for drivers who were on circuit, as well as any other driver or any team members whose activity could be cause of fatality or testimony to help police to fiigure out responsible ones. Also, the car must be left on spot and secured from anyone's access. The circuit becomes officialy a crime scene, and that means no access to anyone but police and prosecutor.
None of this was done on Saturday for the sake of Sunday, and was repeated once again so that the race can be restarted.
It was a scam to bypass the Italian criminal law procedures.
Google on Senna files what was said by Italian judge or prosecutor who tried to do things by the book.
BTW, even this much talk leads us to all that‘s already been said years ago, making it almost not related to topic.
I‘ve stepped into trap of mentioning what I know, but fortunately I won‘t fall into it and repeat all. It can be easily searched for in forum and read in old topics.
No pun intended to anyone, I just have no energy and will to retype and relink what forum search can display to anyone willing to get into matter and read what was written years ago.
Last edited by manchild on 01 May 2014, 22:51, edited 3 times in total.
manchild wrote:
It was a scam to bypass the Italian criminal law procedures.
Like the trial itself...
ECU´s chain of custody was a big joke, and allowing Renault show faked telemetry data was the biggest crap ever seen on a court.
Last edited by sennaf1god.94 on 01 May 2014, 22:16, edited 1 time in total.
I don't know driving in another way which isn't risky. Each one has to improve himself. Each driver has its limit. My limit is a little bit further than other's.
I started watching F1 with my Father, everything about Ayrton bring me good memories of my time spent with him after he passed away due a disease. Even when we all know Ayrton wasn't the best person outside the car, he managed to leave a scent of greatness, support others in disgrace and always push beyond the limits on everyone that has seen, read or listen about him.
I can say with no fears, that Ayrton is my only (mortal) idol.
manchild wrote:
It was a scam to bypass the Italian criminal law procedures.
Like the trial itself...
ECU´s chain of custody was a big joke, and let Renault showing faked telemetry data was the biggest crap ever seen on a court.
I don't want to derail this thread, but this really intrigued me. So in order to keep this thread on topic, can anyone point me to a place where there's a compilation of all the shenanigans that went on surrounding the crash and the court case, like an old forum thread or a dedicated web page? I do remember that there were many question marks regarding the procedures, but I didn't follow it closely then.
It's funny how an untimely death can cement a view of that person amongst others. Then again, I guess we can only see what's put forth for us to view. Had Senna lived longer, I think folks would have undoubtedly seen enough to remove him from the pedestal upon which he was placed.
Not that such a thing is bad, mind you. I happen to think one of the biggest compliments a person can receive is to be considered merely human, because it means others have paid enough attention to you to notice it.
